


On the Other Side

by SamLovesHam1234, ShyTurtleLady



Category: God of War (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Fluffy, Insanity, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, its so heckin fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2020-10-06 10:42:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20505641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamLovesHam1234/pseuds/SamLovesHam1234, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyTurtleLady/pseuds/ShyTurtleLady
Summary: “...” The mother watched the other god carefully, waiting for an answer, an outburst, any sort of reaction, but he was silent. More time passed, and the goddess let out a frustrated growl and uncrossed her arms. She stomped up to the fallen god, eyes alight with anger, and forced his head up. “LOOK AT ME-!” A pale arm lunged out and grabbed her by the hair, wrenching at the brown locks and knocking the woman to the ground. Freya hissed in pain, rubbing at her scalp and glared up at Kratos, a string of searing words on the tip of her tongue, when the look in Kratos’s eyes stopped her cold in her tracks. His eyes were pools of pitch black, so dark even the light didn’t reflect off the lids. His jaw was squared, powerful muscles pulled taut, and his pale skin gave his hooded eyes a malicious glow. That was when it sank in- Kratos wasn’t just furious.He was positively enraged.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SamLovesHam1234](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamLovesHam1234/gifts), [Greenhorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenhorn/gifts).

> Originally Sam just commented this to me on one of my other stories, and I had nothing better to do so I decided 'why not, it seems good.' This actually took me a lot longer than I thought it would because I was busy and I didn't have access to my laptop over the summer. BUT, now its out and I will do my best to keep updating it as consistently as possible, but now school has started for me and I have no idea how much time I will actually be able to give to this little project of ours. ~Turtle

The man — _ her son _ — shifted his weight. “I know,” he replied, breathless. Stumbling to his mother, his arms parted to envelop her…

…in a choking vice around her neck.

Freya coughed, and even when her blackened hands came up as if to hold him, to push him away, they did not dare touch him. Distantly, she heard someone shout, “What? No! Father!” but paid it no heed. She wanted nothing more than her son to be free, to be at peace with himself. 

Even if it meant dying. 

“I love you,” she choked out, a sad smile settling onto her features. But then in a sudden twist that would've made the Fates proud, her son was ripped away from her, hands leaving from her neck and he snarled at the inerference. Kratos exhaled a puff of hot air.

“Why…why do you even care?” Baldur snapped out, eyes twisting in their sockets to meet dark brown ones. “You- could have walked away!” 

Kratos leaned in close to the side of Baldur’s ear, tone firm. “The cycle ends here. We must be better than this.” His massive hands gripped opposite corners of the man’s head and twisted hard, snapping the delicate bones with a sickening _ crunch_. Air hissed softly through his nostrils and Baldur crumpled to the ground, head lolling into a cluster of freshly fallen flakes.

“Snow…” He whispered, a hint of wonder in his voice, and only a moment later his gaze went blank. 

The momentary silence to follow was disrupted by the shrill scream of Freya, who clambered desperately to her dead son. “No, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO!” She wailed, hugging Baldur close to her chest, “My boy...my dear, sweet boy…” 

“Freya.” Crunching snow. Then it stopped. “He chose this.” The goddess was quiet. Kratos watched her tensely. 

“...I will rain down every agony, every violation imaginable upon you.” She lifted her head slowly, glassy eyes focusing on him. Unsteady and hateful, she yelled. “I will parade your cold body, from every corner, of every realm, and feed your soul _ to the vilest filth in Hel!” _

A blast of raging wind twisted around the three, snapping at them with a freezing bite. The ice under Atreus and his father’s feet cracked and splintered apart. Freya’s eyes had gained a frigid blue glow, and as she screamed, the swirling tornado roared in glacial fury. Kratos pulled Atreus close to him, and Atreus gripped his father tightly. Freya’s eyes flashed, and gestured at him. “You do not belong here Atreus, you have done me no wrong.” With a wave of her hand, a circle of ancient runes shimmered into existence, forcefully tearing the boy from his father's tight grip. 

“No, no, NO FATHER! FATHER HELP ME!” Atreus screamed, reaching out for his father with fear bright in his eyes.

“ATREUS!” The panicking father shouted, extending an arm for his son, fingertips only millimetres away. The rune circle lit up brilliantly, then the boy, still trapped inside, faded away into the light. The pale god dropped to the ground on all fours. Everything went quiet. Even the howling winds quieted and stilled, leaving only the father on his knees, and the witch staring down at him from across the clearing. The pregnant silence that followed was lethal. Several moments passed.

“You should be grateful. I have no quarrels with Atreus- only you.”

“...” The mother watched the other god carefully, waiting for an answer, an outburst, any sort of reaction, but he was silent. More time passed, and the goddess let out a frustrated growl and uncrossed her arms. She stomped up to the fallen god, eyes alight with anger, and gripped his jaw, forcing his head up. “LOOK AT ME-!” A pale arm lunged out and grabbed her by the hair, wrenching at the brown locks and knocking the woman to the ground. Freya hissed in pain, rubbing at her scalp and glared up at Kratos, a string of searing words on the tip of her tongue, when the look in Kratos’s eyes stopped her cold in her tracks. His eyes were pools of pitch black, so dark even the light didn’t reflect off the lids. His jaw was squared, powerful muscles pulled taut, and his pale skin gave his hooded eyes a malicious glow. That was when it sank in- Kratos wasn’t just furious. 

He was positively enraged.

One of his massive paws lifted and enveloped her slender neck, crushing her windpipe. Freya wheezed and dug her nails into the man’s thick fingers, hissing when his grip tightened. “Now you k-know, what it’s like, to-o lose your child-d!” The angry goddess coughed out, eyes glaring up at him venomously. 

Kratos’s apathetic expression dropped, and he scowled, his teeth bared menacingly, “I have already lost a child before.” Freya’s eyes widened. Then narrowed. 

“You are acting like a wild animal, Kratos,” the goddess spat, “so you shall fall to your deepest desires- your most primal urges!” Freya cupped her hand to her mouth and blew, and a smoky powder hit Kratos in the face. He wrinkled his nose and coughed violently, backing away from her. His already burning hatred suddenly seemed amplified into a smoldering, seething...darkness. 

Freya backed away from the powerful man as he let loose a guttural scream, clawing at his face and stumbling backwards. The goddess felt a small shred of guilt, but immediately pushed it away. _ ‘He brought this upon himself,’ _ she told herself firmly. He killed her child. This was his punishment. Kratos’s snow-white skin greyed, the red markings running along his shoulders and chest faded into a velvet-brown. He dropped to the snowy ground on all fours, staring straight down. Freya watched, then it clicked in her mind to run. She kept a careful eye on the other god, but retreated away. “<Home>,” she whispered. The ancient runes appeared into the light, and the woman disappeared in its place. Kratos was left on the ground, still, and deathly quiet. He lifted his head. One word- one _ name _ echoed in his otherwise blank mind. 

_ Atreus _.

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

Atreus gasped out as he collapsed to the floor. He instinctively reached around his back, unsheathing his bow, and nocking an arrow in one fluid movement. He rotated around. He was back home? How did-? FATHER! His mind panicked and he rushed to the door, opening it quickly, when from behind him, he heard, “Atreus? That you, laddy?” 

The boy whipped around, bow drawn up again. “Whoa, whoa, it’s alright laddy. Just me, your favorite talking head!” Mimir chuckled. “Say, where’s yer pa? Didn’t you two go off together? Is something wro-?” 

“MIMIR! Oh thank the gods, you won’t _ believe _ what happened!” Atreus exclaimed, hurrying over to the golden-eyed head. 

“Well, I just might,” Mimir replied, raising a brow knowingly. “Try me.” 

Atreus cupped the head and brought him down, hooking the gods’ horn to the loose band at his hip. “I will, I promise, but we have to go get Father. _ Now _.” Mimir clucked his tongue. 

“Now hold on just a minute, laddy. It’s not exactly a good idea to go off searching for whatever without yer pa. Sorry to say it, but ya still definitely rely on him quite a lot, my boy.” Atreus shot the head an impatient scowl. Mimir peered back up at the boy, unfazed, and unamused. 

“Atreus,” the god started cautiously, “if something happened to yer pa, ya won’t be able to do much about it.” Atreus stomped his foot angrily. 

“Well then what _ can _ we do?! Freya teleported me here and put a spell on Father, and Father is still back there with her! What if he needs us!?” 

“ATREUS!” Mimir shouted. The boy stopped at once. Never had he seen the head so serious. Mimir huffed. “_ Listen to me _ . I’m sorry about what’s happened to yer Da, but ya _ must _ heed reason! If someone- Freya, it sounds like- took him down, then what help would ya be to him if ya went there just to get yerself in deep waters with ‘er too?!” Atreus met the gods’ eye, and looked away to the floor. “Hm? That’s what I thought. Now, ya need to trust that he’ll come back. And, it’s much too dangerous right now for ya to be going off by yerself since winter has started up. All the wrong sorts of company are coming out to look for their next meal,” Mimir finished. 

Atreus’s shoulders sagged. “...I’m sorry, Mimir. It’s just- well, I can’t-” Atreus started, but Mimir cut him off. “_ Laddy _.” Then more gently, “I know. I know it hurts, that feeling of helplessness, the thought of possibly losing someone you love, I know. I know.” Atreus drooped in defeat.

“So then how do I fix this? Do I just have to let Father lead himself home? _ Alone?” _ Mimir’s gaze dropped to the ground, and the head was silent. Atreus sniffed. Mimir glanced back up, only somewhat surprised to find the boy crying. 

“It’s alright laddy. Yer Da’s a toughie. ’S gonna take a Hel of a lot more than just an angry witch to off him,” he offered softly. Atreus leaned against a wall, burying his face in his hands, silent tears escalating into wracking sobs. 

Mimir winced at the sight and sighed. There was nothing more he could do than offer more words of comfort, and that was obviously not enough. _ ‘The poor lad,’ _ he thought, and if he could, he’d be shaking his head _ . _

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

Sniffs the air. 

_ F̶o̶o̶d̶.̴ _

Walks forward. 

_ F̸o̶o̵d̴ ̷c̶l̸o̴s̸e̸.̷ _

Takes more certain steps.

_ S̴o̵o̷n̶.̸ ̶S̸c̸e̴n̸t̴ ̸s̵t̵r̸o̸n̷g̷.̶ _

He reaches out. Feels something move.

K̵ ̷I̶ ̵L̷ ̸L̶.̴

He squeezes hard. 

_ K̸̰̤̍Ī̸̢͋͝ͅL̶̗͐̄̚L̴̻͂ ̸̬̲̐̑Ḱ̵͓̥͔I̷͎̟͕̾̓̕L̷̪̆̋L̵͎͈̑ ̶̩̤̥̆̊͊K̴̗̾͛̓I̶̱̳̞͗L̸̗̙̓̓͂͜L̴̛͈͔͕̂̇ ̶̨͊̇͝K̵͙̺̥͛̐Į̸̛̱̆L̸̡̼̀̾L̷͍̞̀ ̸̞̅͝Ķ̵̼͕̈́Ḯ̸͇͙̎͝L̷̨̝̆̍-̴͓̞̄ _

Something warm runs down his hands.

_ …̴B̴l̶o̷o̷d̷.̸ ̴D̸e̷a̸t̸h̴.̶ _

He releases it.

_ E̷a̶t̶.̸ ̴S̵u̸r̸v̷i̷v̷e̸.̴ _

He kneels. Rips it apart.

_ S̷u̶r̵v̶i̵v̷e̴.̶ _

Raises it to his mouth. Takes a bite. 

S̷̢̜͓͔̒̃͋̎ ̴̧͋̓̔͝u̴̧̠͔̚ ̷͖̙̻̤͐̋̅̀R̵͚̺͆͒ ̴͕̭͓̾͊͂V̵̙̩̒̏̌͠ ̷̟̦͓͍̈́̐̈́͗ĭ̶͖̟̠͕̀̚͠ ̸̼̌̈͝͠v̶̮̣͙̉̌̈́̕ ̵̨̯͚̗̾̑͑E̸̢͕̻̒̈̔.̷̢̼̎̐͝

Continues eating. Stops. 

Hunger has subsided.

F̸in̸d̷.̷

Find? Find what?

F̶I̸N̸D̴.̵

FIND WHAT?! WHAT AM I TO FIND!?

F̸͎̦͇͎̅̿̏̾̽͒̚ ̴͐͜i̴̛̛͕͍̋̿̉̓ ̵͓̑͛N̶̦̣̯̭̓̇͑̋͐̏̒ ̴̨̺̦̻̣̟͚̌̂̄͛͛̓̉̄̇̿͜Ḑ̷̯̖̬͂̄̈́̾̈́̀.̵̠̽

AGGHHHHH!

_ A̴̼̭͍̒͋̃ͥͦ̿ͫ̑A̴̸̶̷̡̨̢̧̫̲͍̳̖̬̠̜̪̬̯̣̻͚̩̼͉͎͈̮̝̮̮̣̯̜̣͚̼͍̠͉͖̪̞͇͉̭̜̗͍̥͇̖̿ͥ̋̂͛̅͋̃͛ͦ̈́̓̏́̾̋̋̀̽̉̍̅͛ͫ́̀̆̓́͛̑̊̎̇̾̕̕ͅĜ̸̡̨̛̛̙͔̰̰͍̟̺̺̮͎̭̬̤̳̃̅̈́̀̐͒̈́̎̽̒̀́̍̕ _ ҉̶̡̧͎̺̙̫͈̮̭͉͚͔̯͙͂͌ _ Ģ̵̴̵̧̛̭͚͔͉̘̬̳̟̼̭̖̬̖̦̻̜̯̳͔̹̭̺̌̎̊͋͗́̆̔̇͐ͬ́̽̈́͗̈̂̈́͆̂́̄̓̎̉̋͊̿̐̇̉̕̕͘̕͢Ḧ̵̷̸̨̢̡̧̛̬̼̺͚̮̣̥͎͓̘̝͍͇̹̙̼̠̗͕̺̜̬͙̟͍̜̪͕̫̝͇̯̙̒̌̓ͤ͊̒̑̒́͗̄̀͊̀͛͊̏̔ͬ̀̊͊̌͜͜͜͠͝͝͝Ḥ̸̴̷̢̧̡̡͍̳̣͎̬̦̱̼͈̙̞͙͕̹̼̬̮̘͇̞͈̹̼̟͔̻̗͍͙̫̱͎̭̙͚͂̏̈́̈̄̉͐̽͊̄̏̔̔ͥ̄͐̉̒͌̏̇͑̃̈́͋̊̎̈́̊͂̔̾ͭ̒̑̊͋̈́̉̄̄͐̍̓́͋̐̍̓̑̊͌͋̀͆̚͠Ḥ̶͔̟̗̹̳̱̤̀̇̑̋̏̓͐̓̈́̉̐̓̀̐̎́͊͠ _ ҉̷̨̢̫̗͖͔͓̻̰̦̅͋̎̂͐̎͊͘ _ H̶̨̨̧̙̟̮̗͓̭̼͍̥̞͔̲͓̫͓̫͉͔̲͂̔͑̐̏̽̋̈́́͐͑̐̓̀͜͝͝H̶̳̗̪̳̖̥̜̽̾̆̌̈́̀̀̓̈̃̋̔̈́̉̿̄͠͝ _ ҉̷̟͊͛̀͒̆̾̃̾̅̈̀̎͋̄̈́̽́̈̕͘͝ _ !̶̶̶̴̧̡̡̡̨̠̺̩̞͉͙̼͚͙͙̫̼̞̖͙̲̝͍̠͍̥̥̣͇̯͓̳̹͚̻̺͓͙͕̜̲̮̹͚͖̪͚̞͎̳͚̲̤͇̣̯̲̤͉̻̊͛͆͋̔́̃̈́́̏̿̄̍̋̎̾͊͒̓̎ͮ͊ͦ̅̂͋ͮ͌͐̑̀͘̕̚̚͘͘͜͝ͅ _

  
  


** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

Atreus’s eyes flew open abruptly and he shot up from his bed with a shrill scream. Mimir snapped awake, shouting, “What!? What is it lad?!” The boy’s heart pounded rapidly in his chest, and it took him several breaths and the patience of his friend before Atreus could finally talk. 

“I…I saw him!” Mimir’s brow quirked, and his tired eyes focused on Atreus’s pale eyes. 

“You saw…who, lad? 

Atreus looked away to the door. “I saw my Father, Mimir,” he said tensely. “He, he killed a deer or something, I don’t know. But I was seeing through his eyes. Everything was dark, a-and red, an-and-!” Atreus began tearing up, curling into himself with a whimper. “It was so black, everything was weird, and I could feel him in pain!” Atreus’s pale eyes were wide and frightened. “We need to find him, Mimir! He was in such pain, and we can’t just leave him out in the cold all alone! He’ll freeze! That, or maybe…” Atreus hiccuped and started sobbing uncontrollably. “He might die!” Atreus cried out brokenly. First his mother, and just as his father finally began opening up to him, bit by bit, he might lose him now too. 

A fierce pang rippled through Atreus, and the boy took long, deep, breaths. When he finally calmed down Atreus stood off his bed and grabbed the quiver of arrows sitting on the table, looping the strap around him, then leaned over to reach for his bow. He paused, and gently felt along the sides of the bow. It has always been at his side. It was trustworthy, and loyal. It has seen everything he has seen, been through everything he has been through, hunted with him, and defended him. It has served him well since the day he’s received it. It would now serve for more than just him. 

He slung the bow over his shoulder and made his way to the door. “Lad? Laddy, what’re you doing?” Mimir called out. Atreus opened the door, and looked over his shoulder. 

In a resolute tone the boy replied, “I am going to find my Father.” Mimir sat on his perch on the dining table, and if he could, he would shift uncomfortably. 

The thought of the boy going all alone didn’t sit well with the head, so he offered the only thing he could: “Then take me wit’ ya.” 

Atreus gaped.

“You mean…you’re actually okay with me going off?” He asked, dumbfounded. The head shook his…head. 

“Heavens, no. But thinkin’ about ya goin’ off on yer own is even worse, ‘least in my own mind it is.” Atreus paused for a moment, mulling over the god’s plea. He hurried back over to the head and lifted him up to eye level. 

“You’re _ certain?” _ The boy asked again. 

Mimir snorted, “Just git on yer way, laddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations for the Corrupted are here, in case you couldn't read them:  
Food.  
Food close.  
Soon. Scent strong.  
KILL.  
KILL KILL KILL KILL KIL-  
…Blood. Death.  
Eat. Survive.  
Survive.  
S u R V i v E.  
Find.  
FIND.  
F i N D.  
AGGHHHHH!


	2. Chapter 2

Taking a breath, he closed the door with a finality that made his stomach drop like a stone in dark waters. 

This was it. He would finally prove himself to his father, by going in search of him, alone. Mostly. 

Mimir’s golden eyes glowed. “Glad I can’t feel any of this cold- must be horrible ’ta deal wit’,” he commented. Atreus suppressed the shiver the frosty air elicited from him. “Yeah,” he responded, rubbing at his shoulders with a grimace. Mimir quirked a brow. 

“Ya  _ do _ know you c’n just go back in ‘nd grab some more blankets or somethin’, right?” The head chuckled. 

Atreus pretended to scowl at him, “You’re not my mom!” 

Mimir grinned back. “Damn right I’m not! If I was, I dunno how in the world I woulda’ been ‘bed by your Da in the first place!” The pair howled in laughter, and Atreus stepped off the porch, pretending to make a face. 

“Eugh, don’t make me think about that now! That’s nasty!” The boy’s face twisted in disgust, and he bent over a bit with a hand on his stomach, as if to wretch. 

“Agh, come on now lad. I bet you’ve seen far worse than whatever your imagination came up with,” Mimir jested coyly. 

Atreus shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips. “You’re enjoying this way too much, Mimir,” the boy complained. The head’s eyes twinkled. 

“An’  _ you’re _ not enjoying it enough~” Mimir purred. Atreus snapped his gaze to Mimir’s with horror. 

“Mimir,  _ no!” _

The god grinned wickedly. “See, back in ‘mah youth, I used to get  _ allllll _ the ladies! Nice ’n curvy, some slender ’n skinny, some nice ’n plump jus’ like yer-”

“OKAY I’M GOOD!” Atreus interrupted loudly, marching away into the snow. “Instead of thinking about  _ that, _ why don’t you think about where my Father might be, and how we get there?” Mimir nodded, his cheerful mood sobering. Honestly, he’d kind of forgotten about the boy’s father. The man was so quiet sometimes, even in moments like these, he still wouldn’t even notice the damned man! 

“My bad, lad,” the head said quietly, and his mind came to life with possibilities. “If Freya set a spell on ‘im, he probably isn’t gonna be where you last saw him. By the way, where  _ was _ the last place you two were?” 

“In the lake, by Jörmungandr.” Atreus suddenly felt a bolt of fear and worry tear through him. “Oh no, I forgot all about him! I hope Jörmungandr’s okay…” Mimir’s brows lowered. Oh this poor boy. He lost his mother, his father always kept him at arms’ length, and he was worried about the huge beast that helped him. He shook his head.  _ This world _ , Mimir decided, _ does not deserve Atreus. _ “Try checking in the forest around there. If the dwarves are even as half as smart as I hope they are, they’ve probably moved camps from the shop they set up over there,” he suggested. Atreus nodded, and he walked along the path he and his father walked so often. 

His Father.

Another icy-cold feeling spread through the boy, but this time it wasn’t from the cold. All Atreus ever wanted was for his father to love him, just as his mother had. After all their travels, they were getting closer. Atreus could tell because his father allowed him- however reluctantly- to teach him to read. So much- he had learned  _ so much _ from his father, and he wanted to give back to him. So when his Father had finally agreed, Atreus was  _ ecstatic _ .

But now his Father was gone. Even  _ better _ , neither Atreus nor Mimir actually knew where he was.

“Laddy, you might want ‘ta-” Atreus cried out as he stumbled, “-watch out for that branch you just tripped over.” Mimir snorted. Atreus had the sense to look a little embarrassed. 

“My bad,” the boy mumbled sheepishly. The head smiled softly, and he lilted soothingly, 

“It’s alright laddy, I’m sure we’ll find your Da. He’s kinda hard to miss, wit’ him bein’ all big ’n white as snow.” Atreus let out a half-hearted chuckle, then sighed. 

“I miss him already…” Mimir nodded sympathetically. 

“I know, lad.” The head stared out sadly into the forest behind him. “I know.”

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

Atreus leaped onto the rock, his muscles tensing and sore. Another thing he took for granted- never having to climb all these sheer cliffs like Father did. Bouncing around on his belt, Mimir piped up, “Ye’ alright lad? Ya’ been goin’ on for hours now, and I wouldn’t want ya’ to overexert yourself. Yar’ only gonna be feelin’ like Hel tomorrow.” 

Atreus grunted and reached up, tugging at a shard of rock jutting out. The rock peeled out and tumbled down, and the boy twisted sharply out of the way as the rock plummeted, its serrated edges narrowly missed scoring him. The sound of the smash didn’t even echo back up. Atreus sighed, settling himself back against the wall, and hunted around for another ledge. 

Deft fingers found another crook, and Atreus tugged at it. It held fast. The boy set himself in place and pulled himself up. “I can’t really see too well from ‘yer behind, but I think we’re gettin’ close ‘ta the top,” Mimir remarked. 

“Thanks, Mimir.” Atreus puffed out a breath and continued probing around the rocky wall. When he found another crevice, he slowly let his weight rest on the edge, testing it. Feeling certain, he crawled over to the cleft. The boy extended his arm out again and scouted around, using his senses to feel around for another nook to grab onto. 

Soft grass brushed under his fingertips, and Atreus grinned breathlessly. He clutched a whole clump of relatively soft dirt in his grip, digging his short, cropped nails into the earth. Kicking off the wall, he quickly hauled himself up and rolled safely across the ground. The boy laid there, panting and heaving, and wheezed out a laugh. “I DID IT!” Atreus whooped, and Mimir chuckled when the boy raised his arms up victoriously. 

“Mrph!” Atreus rolled over onto his stomach and laughed loudly. “Blegh, between that rock and your arse, that was horrible.” Mimir spat out a few blades of grass and wrinkled his nose, then grinned widely. “But as I was trying to say, now would be a nice time ‘ta set up camp ‘fer the night, wouldn’t ‘ya agree, lad?” Atreus groaned and flopped down on his stomach. 

“Awughhh but I  _ just _ laid downnnn! I don’t wanna get back up…” Atreus whined.

Mimir snorted. 

“Git up.”

Atreus dropped his face into the ground.

“Atreus. Git up.”

The boy stayed still as a statue.

“Atreus, lad, git up or so help me I will bite ‘ya.”

The boy still did not make a move.

_ ‘This damned lad. Even if he might not admit it, this  _ definitely _ came from his Da,’ _ Mimir rolled his eyes. “Welp, here goes.” He rocked forward and clamped his jaws around the skin near the boy’s hip. Atreus shot up with a splitting screech, and swat at Mimir violently. 

“AHHHHHHHH!” 

“I TOLD ‘YA I’D BITE ‘YA, AN’ HERE YOU ARE AN’ YOU DIDN’T BELIEVE ME!” Mimir hollered indignantly. 

“I DIDN’T THINK YOU ACTUALLY MEANT IT!” Atreus yowled. He rubbed at the tender pink skin on his hip, shooting the head a withering scowl. Mimir shrugged unapologetically. 

“Not my fault yar still a ‘wee ol’ bean.” Atreus huffed. 

“Fine. Stay here. I’ll go get some firewood for the night.” Mimir quirked a brow at the boy and grinned good-naturedly. 

Snickering, he said, “Ya won’t hav’ ‘ta worry ‘bout me goin’ anywhere, lad.” Atreus made an unimpressed face, and Mimir laughed. “I’m just kidding, lad. Well, I mean, I  _ wish _ I was, but I'm really not, so…go git some wood then, I guess.” 

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

“Ah.” Atreus sat down on the chilly ground with a sigh. He rubbed at his arms, unconsciously frowning.  _ Hopefully the fire will warm up some of the ground too, _ he thought, rubbing his hands together. Mimir sat silently next to him, and Atreus peered into the fire. It didn’t take long for his eyes to start fluttering shut, only for him to jerk awake again. 

“Atreus, lad, go ‘ta bed.” The boy shook his head. 

“Just a little longer, Mimir. I don’t want to go to sleep yet.” Mimir rolled his eyes and scoffed. 

“Lad, go ‘ta bed. Yer’ obviously tired, so stop fighting it.” 

Atreus whined in protest: “But what if something comes up? We haven’t found Father yet and what if he comes back in the middle of the night?” Mimir was close to just commanding the boy to sleep, but an idea popped into his brilliant brain and he switched tactics. 

“Lad,” He started gently, “who  _ knows _ what kinda’ shape ‘yer Da’s gonna’ be ’n. Get some sleep now, and you’ll be able ‘ta help ‘im more later when we find ‘im.” Atreus opened his mouth again, but closed it. Mimir was right. He usually was, but now it almost hurt how right he was.

“Yeah…I guess so.” The boy turned over, pawing a small clump of earth together in a makeshift pillow. He patted it together and rested his head against it, shifting into a comfortable position and whispered, “Good night Mimir.” 

“G’night lad, sleep well.” Mimir smiled as the boy closed his eyes. Once Atreus’s breathing evened out in the telltale sign of slumber, the smile slipped off his face. “Oh Kratos, ya gods-damned man. Where are ya?…”

  
  


Morning came much quicker than what Atreus expected. It was as though he closed his eyes and only mere minutes later, dawn was already approaching. He sat up slowly and yawned, stretching and popping bones back into place. “Ya awake yet?” The boy gave himself a quick shake to be rid of the last traces of sleep, and blinked a few times. 

“I think so,” Atreus rubbed at his eyes, “I don’t think I can go to sleep one day and suddenly wake up in Hel the next unless something went very wrong overnight.” Mimir laughed heartily at the boy’s witty comment.

“HA! Yer not wrong there, lad!” 

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

It was cold.

B̛̗̺̟͙͘ù͉̜͉̱̺t͏̭̦͖̹͔̘͙̞ ̛̛̞͝w̴̛̳̱̖̞͘e̲̖̘̭̦̹̮͉͔ ̶͍̙͖̰͉͜ͅa̶̴̯r̠̳̤̀ę̵͇̮̺̭͝ ̶͏̢̳̺͚̠̜ẁ̨͖̻̦͖̘a̴̞͕͓͚̯̥̳̕r̥͙͙͎͔̜͜m̻̙̼̪.̠̻̟̤͕̰̤͟

  
  


Yes, he was still warm, but that didn’t make the air any less cold.

T̳̭̠h̶̭̮̯͕̺e͓ ҉̹̲̮̣̜̼c̘̝͇͕̥̣̠͘o̢l̨͖̫d̙͞ ͎̺̞̮̘d̰ͅǫ͕͓̖̯̠̦͓e̜̯͖͔s̖̥͕ ͍̘̳̺̥ṉ̗͎̯o̵̱t̺̦̺̫̱̳ ̸̯͖͓̼̮m̮̯͈̥͖̰a̶̪̰̮̫͇̘t̝̮t҉̯e̥̺r̷

  
  


He knows that already!

W̷̛͏͇̺E̢͎̫̳͓̖̜͝ͅ ̛̦͟K͏̣̭̝̭͕̫̮͝Ǹ͠͏̜̲̰̲̱͉͚̼O͚W̵͇̹̭͚͈̳̫͜͟.̢̢̱͈̤̼̥͎͖̀

  
  


Something was wrong.

Y̯̣͉͖e̴̺͖̺s̤͔̠̼̞̩,̥̹̦̱̤̟͠ ̵͓̟̹̯s̖̖̀o͡m̪̞̭̱̯̣e̼͔̲͚t̩͓̺͚͓͓͔h̢̫i̠̰͉n͉̻͎g̵̜ ̸̞̼̞n̗͕̼o̤̘̜t͚͓̩̣̺͞ ͕̲͖͇͍̠̺r͍̬̫i̤͈̫͇͚̘͘g̫͎ͅh͙̪̟̮̹̲͝t͚.͖͓.̼͇.̼̠̤̖̜̣

  
  
  


But…what was it? Perhaps it was the quiet.

Wͅe ҉̹̤͍̜̜̰̰l͔̹̼̙͝ik͚̜̘͕̫͠e͚̫͝ t̲̬͠h̼̣̠̩͔e̖̬̮̤͘ ̬͚̼͚q͓͚͢u͉̟̫̜͠i҉e̻̪̲̙̣̥̼t͓̬̦̳̹̗͔͝.͕͉͔.͖̘̲͓̪.͖̮͉͖

  
  


Maybe. But still. Something was…off.

F͡i̭̮̖̥̟͜ńd̹̬.

  
  


By the gods, not this again. Find  _ what? _

Y̹̼̳̣o͓͉͎͙̖̙u̞̝̠̪̲̻ ͏͚̳̯̬̟̥kn̙͓o̲̗̣̟̝͠w.̟́

  
  


What? No I don’t!

Y̟̗e͎͢s̸̝s͉̗̠͎.̣̦͇̯͇͜..̧̣͓̮̪̦͍

  
  


WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?!

H̠̟̳̭͙͘͝I͏̶͉͙̪̳̬̟͎͉̪͔͖̳͈M̵͜͡͏͔̪͙͙͙͎̟̯̺.̧̰̗͖̺͡

  
  


HIM WHO?!

T̜͕̰̲͟͟ͅH̝̼͇̥̳E͖͎ ͍̠͈̲͕͢Ó̷̶͇̬̹̼͖̰N̛͖̬̹L҉̦̹͎̟͔̘͟Y̴̬̪̲͘͡ ̧̟̗̤̥͕̖W̩̬̟̟̖̠͔̺O͖̳̼̲̻R̛̘͍̪̞͓̦̠̕T̤͚̣̺H̢̪̕Y͏҉̳͕͓͓.̡̣̘͉̺̖͔̦͚̹.̧̣̞͎͉̲̬̻̟͚͔̺̻̣̦́

  
  


Worthy…of what?

W̴̜͚̪̙o͏̼̲̺̜r̻͈̝ț̗̬̬̙̮͝h̪͇̜͙̲́y̥̲͍̟̕.̹͕̣͇

  
  


…You hinder me greatly.

As̕ ̷̺̱̣̙̹̣d͏͚̟i҉̬d̷̹ ̟̩͡ḩ̯͚̮e,̷̠̲̪ ̨b̷͔̪u̬͖̲̱͖̤̮ţ̘̞̺̝ ̬̤̬̀y̩̺o͔̲͚͝ͅu̴ ̛͇͉̣̭̖̥a̴̗l̛̰̱̲̙̜̣̝w̟̖͕̱̤͖̥̕a͏̥y̗͈̬̤̤̻͓ș̠̬̕ ̖̗̦̣̲̙̻c̕a͇̜̰m̷͙͇͈e̫̼͕͇̯͇̳͝ ̴̥̯͕̲̤̖b̨̳̙̲̟̘̙à̖̠̠̩̰c͇k̤̬̤͖̭ͅ.̸̰̬

  
  


Back where?

Y͔̰̟̖̤̣̝ǫ̭̣͕͈̜̼u̳ ͇͈̲͔͔k̸̹̬̝̦͙̣̺n̖͚̺̮̟̘ow̧̳̻͇͔̟.̤

  
  


We will do nothing but go around in circles if you continue with your unnecessarily cryptic answers.

Y̗̠̬̺̠̕o̷͔u̳̺ ̘̲̬͠k̘͚n̖̮̗̯̦͡ó̱̼w̖̻͈̩̥͙̫̕ ̹͇͉h͈̲̀i̻̩̹̥̗̗̮m̯̟͈͘ͅ. ̲͓̞͔̳̝̻Y͔̪̙̕o̱ͅu̯͈ ̭ṉ̵̱͚e̠̜͇ę̖̺̖d̼̺ ̪̬̰̤͢h͇̗̪i̢͚͙͇͉̖̭̗m͡.̨̰̯̦͔̳̼͖

  
  


I don’t  _ need _ anyone.

B͏̺ú͓͕̯ͅt̩̥ ̵ͅy̼̤̲̰̝̠e̺͖̦̻͈t̼̩̭ ̟͖̪y҉o̯͔͜u̳̖̬̼̘͖ ͖s̡͚̻̮ͅt̢i͚̝͙͚̩l̗̺̘̤̻ͅl̨̮̱ ̠d͏̬e͇̜̩͖s̶ì̻͖r̭̭̭̬̥͎̩e̳̞͙͔̜̼ ͡ͅh̳̫̞̯̺i̟̙̪̩͘m.͎̖̹

  
  


…What?

Y̸͉̠̺͈̤̤o͉͉̦̠̺͈̱u ̀d̜̖̲̱͕̦e͔͎ny҉͕̹͖ ̪̲͕̬̳̺i̬̝͞t̫,̪̘ ̲͡b̥̜͓͈̳͓u̳͍̖͇͙̕t̟̫͚̮̬̲̥ ҉̹̲y̮͈ǫ̺̫͓u͟ ͏͉͎s҉̲͈̮͚̯̥t̟̙͕̦̮́i̗̱̻̟͈l͉̳͈̘l̘ ̙̬̙̮̩w̸̞̻̻͎̲a͏̟̥͉͉̝n̨͉t̳̦̱̪ ͔h̠i͏̩̭̜͈̫̳̻m̯͙͖̰̫͘.̧̘̖̜̱͉̤͎

  
  


Who is it you say I desire?

Y̶̞ọ̷͔̱̯͎̬̝u̲̪ ̰̦̮̠̹w̶̖̹̲i̱̗̦l͎̖͉̻̺̮̪ḻ̤̜̣̗ ṣ̘͓e̼̦e̳͕̖͍͉ ͉͖͚so̘̣̰̞̯̠on̩̲͈̩̜̹.̖̪ ̶͖̘̙̺̺̺͕B̧̳̫̞͈͙u̠͖͙͖̩͜t͠ ̵͙̱͇̹͇̜n͏͙̦̘̪̺̲o̻͍̬w̛̠̖̣,̰͓͚͔ ̳̤̥̣̱͚w̪͍̥e̲ ̢̟̙͙̥̖w̭͉̳̫̖a̛̰͈̥͎̖̹i̧͈̝͕͖̦t̀.͏͓̜

  
  


_ A cold feeling shook through him, and he dropped to the ground. _

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

It took them only a few minutes to pack up with how little they had brought and within the hour they were back on their way. The sun was beginning to make way into the sky, but it was still gray, shadowed with pale, streaked clouds. The air was kicking up too, Atreus noted silently as a small wind brushed up against his spine, sending him into a fit of shivers. The boy pulled the furs around him together tightly, and he felt, however small they were, a few drops of warmth trickle back into his permafrost bones.

Time seemed to both be sprinting and crawling at the same time, but soon enough Mimir reminded him about stopping for a short midday meal. Atreus foraged around for berries, picking through bush after bush for berries not yet already eaten by the birds and deer. There was not much room for luxury in their food, but Atreus had never been a picky eater. 

Thumbing another pink berry into his mouth, Atreus let his mind wander. ‘ _ Wonder how Sindri and Brok are doing,’ _ he mused. Ever since the encounter with Baldur and Freya, he hadn’t really had the time to check in with them or search around to see if they were okay. The boy rolled around another of the small berries in his fingers absently. 

“Hey, lad.” Atreus started out of his thoughts with a blink.

“Yeah Mimir?” Mimir peered up at him hesitantly. 

“So what happen’d between you, your Da, ‘nd Freya?” Something akin to being a brick dropped in the boy’s stomach, and he tensed. 

“…Why do you want to know?” He asked warily.

Mimir met Atreus’s suddenly suspicious gaze evenly; “If Freya cast a spell on yer Da, and we don’ know where we’re going, we need at least  _ somewhere _ to start. Plus, ya never told me what happen’d anyways, and I am quite curious.” Atreus let out a shuttering breath and shivered. 

“…Baldur found us and got angry because we beat him last time we fought. We fought again, and we thought he was gone. But then, he came up again, and Freya was there.” Atreus shifted, looking away uncomfortably. “She was holding her arms out, and offered him to — I don’t know, make peace?” The boy stopped again, and he twiddled his thumbs nervously. 

“Go on, lad,” Mimir encouraged gently. Atreus nodded and swallowed hard. 

“S-She said he could ki-kill her…”

That was certainly not what he was expecting.

“We stopped Baldur from trying to suffocate her, but then Father killed him. Freya got super mad, and she summoned a whole blizzard — and even that frozen, dead giant! — and started attacking us. Then she cast a spell on me, and then Father.” The boy paused. “That’s all I know that happened.” Mimir nodded uneasily, letting all the new information sink in. He shook his head sadly. 

“She shoulda known this would have come. I don’ know what she was thinking in th’ first place.” Atreus tilted his head. 

“What do you mean?” Mimir sighed and exhaled heavily. 

“Long story short, she made Baldur, her baby, immune to all pain. But the price of not feeling any pain meant he couldn’t feel anythin’ at all. So, Baldur grew up hating her for all the things and feelings he was missing out on because of her. I guess letting him kill her was her way of trying to make a truce,” the head explained. “But yer Pa not letting him do that was against her will. And on top of that, yer Pa-, er-, well, he  _ did _ kinda kill her son, so that didn’t really help much with her relationship with her son either.” 

Atreus’s eyes widened. “Oh.” 

Mimir grimaced and nodded, “Yeah. So I’m guessing now that she wants Kratos to feel her pain as well as her wrath. She knows hundreds of spells, but perhaps we can narrow it down if we…” Twigs crunched loudly. Atreus reached for his bow and whipped around, quickly nocking an arrow and drew the drawstring tightly to his chest. He slowly turned, his combat instincts running full throttle as everything his father had taught him flowed into his brain. 

_ ‘Haven’t seen anything…but that didn’t mean anything.  _ Always _ check.’ _ Atreus sheathed his bow and slid out his small obsidian dagger from its pouch, carefully creeping forward with the knife up to stab. Time slowed to a crawl, and he took a deep breath.  _ ‘I’ve done this plenty of times before, and this will be no different, _ he reassured himself. He exhaled and steeled himself, pushing aside the bushes quietly and stepped forward into the shrubbery, to see…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, not dead yet lol  
But SO SORRY that this took me so long, but hopefully it was worth it to see this new chapter!  
Again, updates will be very inconsistent just because I don't have an incredible amount of time to dedicate to this, so please be patient with me and don't be afraid to give me criticism, I basically live for it :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaaaaaack ;)  
I'm trying to make my chapters longer, but school has started up for me again and I play a sport, so that will be absorbing a lot of my time. Updates will remain rather erratic, but hopefully I'll be able pump out more and keep it somewhat consistent. Kudos to everyone who read and commented <3
> 
> **EDIT**  
For those still reading, I am looking for a beta to help me out whenever I put together a chapter. I'm flexible, but I mainly use google drive/docs for sharing and editing. If you're interested, please let me know in a comment down below. Thank you and enjoy <3

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing.

Still suspicious, Atreus pushed through more of the bushes. Mimir called out from behind him, “Hey lad? Do ‘ya think ‘ya can strap me on wit’ ‘ya? ‘D rather not be out here after whatever _ that _ was.” 

The boy nodded silently and grabbed the head, hooking his golden horns into the loop on his belt. He turned around in a complete circle, warily analyzing everything around them. Padding carefully to a small pile of cracked and broken sticks, Atreus knelt down and observed them. The damage was concentrated in the center of the pile. Multiple breaks in the middle. The dirt was flattened into a long, narrow shape. 

“People,” Mimir breathed out. Atreus’s heart beat faster. _ ‘Always wanted to meet new people, but with how they didn’t even call out, they’re probably up to no good,’ _ he mused smartly. Standing up, the boy took another look around. Besides the sticks, there were no traces of anything ever having been there besides the two of them. Atreus slung his pack over his shoulder and began walking again. 

“Whoever that was, hopefully they’ll just leave us alone,” Atreus whispered back. Mimir furrowed his brows. 

“I wouldn’t count on that, lad. I’ve met a lot of people in my time. If they’re following you, I can tell you they almost always want something from you. Usually money. Or, if you’re helpless,” he continued, looking up to eye Atreus seriously, “they might take advantage of that and try to force you into having sexual intercourse with them.” The boy shuttered and rubbed his arms anxiously, nervously watching for any movement. Mimir felt a spike of guilt flow through him for saying that, but it was true, and the boy needed to know. 

He changed topic quickly: “If we keep heading this route, I believe we’ll reach Jörmungandr somewhere around late-midday, with of course a few breaks in between.” Atreus hummed in acknowledgment and hiked through the forest. Traveling through the woods on a gray morning covered everything in a sheet of bleak darkness, and the silence echoing around them was deafening. Mimir’s bright eye searched around dutifully as Atreus walked. 

A few hours passed, and Mimir caught sight of a particular shrub he recognized.

“Hey, lad?”

“Yeah?”

“I think we’re gettin’ close ‘ta Sindri ‘nd Brok. ‘R at least one of their settlements,” he observed. As the head said that, the boy realized the path they were walking on was getting more defined, the center becoming more worn down with less and less signs of vegetation. 

“I think you might be right, Mimir,” Atreus murmered. Past an open thicket, he saw the beginning of a clearing. “There!” He jogged into the opening, and there lay the telltale equipment and setup of the infamous brothers. What was different, however, was that both were absent from their post. Atreus looked around in confusion, and he cupped his hands around his mouth as called out, “Hey, where are you guys! Brok? Sindri?” 

“Meat-shank, ‘that you?” Called out a familiar rough voice. Atreus perked, and he shouted out again. 

“Brok? Are you okay? Where are you?” Out from behind one of the thick trees emerged Brok with a small hatchet in hand. His eyes widened and he lowered his weapon. 

“Well I’ll be damned, it _ is _ you! HAA!” He guffawed, and he waved his hatchet around gleefully. “See Sindri, you squeamish lil’ shit, I _ told _ you the little whippersnapper was gonna come!” The other golden-clad brother stumbled out into the open and fiddled around with his hands nervously 

“W-well, you never know for sure, brother.” Atreus bounded up to the pair and pulled them both in to a tight hug. 

“I’m so glad you guys are okay! Why were you hiding?”

“Urk, you’re getting stronger, you pile of bones and somewhat muscle,” Brok smirked teasingly. “Let go ‘ah me and I’ll answer your damned question if I can still even breathe afterwards. So, uh…actually, where’s your troll of a father at?” Atreus stiffened slightly, and Mimir spoke up for him. 

“A lot’s happened recently, but long story short, Kratos got cursed by Freya and now we're looking for ‘im,” He explained curtly. Sindri gagged and gripped at his stomach dramatically, grimacing. 

“That head’s still with you?!” Brok laughed and clapped his brother’s back heartily. 

“The one sentence you don’t stutter on, and it’s about the damned head of Mimir that you’ve seen a hundred times. You dipshit, when’re you gonna man up and stop being sick at everything?”

Sindri cast his brother a withering glare and huffed, rubbing his stomach tenderly. “It’s not _ my _ fault that… this _ thing _ isn’t dead yet! It’s like seeing the dead walk again!” Everything went dead silent. Mimir raised a single brow, not even the slightest bit amused. 

“Might want ‘ta rethink yer wording there, lad,” He deadpanned. Sindri scratched at his neck. 

“Y-Yeah, I probably could have said that b-better,” he admitted awkwardly. “B-BUT YOU ALL GET THE POINT!” Brok snorted and rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Princess.” Sindri turned to his brother with furrowed brows and held up an accusing finger. 

“DON’T CALL ME A-“

“HEY!” Sindri halted and Brok peered over at Atreus. Atreus frowned at the two brothers. “Neither of you answered my question.” Brok tilted his head. 

“What was it?” 

The boy puffed and repeated, “Why were you guys hiding behind the rock?” Immediately, Brok went rigid and Sindri paled. 

“Did you…did you not hear it?” The older brother asked cautiously. Atreus shook his head, baffled. 

“No. Why, what happened?” Sindri shivered and rubbed at his arms. 

“W-we heard this re-_ really _ frightening scream or something. Like something was trying to howl. But it was…it…I can’t even describe it to you, how awful it was.” Brok nodded grimly in agreement. 

“Yeah. Heard this thing jus’ a bit ago, but ’t sounded like someone wanted to murder or someone wanted to _ be _ murdered. Either way, gotta agree, ’t was real unnerving.” 

“So you just heard something howl? You do realize we live in a forest. With _ wolves,” _ Mimir remarked sarcastically. Sindri shook his head fiercely with worried eyes. 

“N-No, you don’t u-understand! It wasn’t a wolf or so-something! It-it sounded like…”

“A person,” Brok finished. 

“A person?” Atreus exclaimed. “Why would someone howl?”

“Are you absolutely _ certain _ that it was a person?” Mimir demanded.

“Of course we are!” Brok snapped back. Then he paused and scratched his head. “…I think.” 

Mimir raised a brow. “You think?” He repeated, unimpressed. Brok shrugged.

“I mean, it's not like we wanted to go out and see whatever th’ hell was causing that racket. But it damn well sounded like someone was gettin’ their dick pulled off. Or their arse kicked. One of the two. Or maybe it was both.” Brok barked out a laugh and Sindri shot the other dwarf a disapproving scowl. 

“Must you always be so _ vulgar, _ brother?!” Atreus snickered while Sindri slapped at Brok, and Brok yelped and swatted back at him indignantly. Mimir chuckled and rolled his eyes with a small grin. 

“Are th’ two ‘o ya kiddies done yet, or should we give ya’ ‘yer own space?” He joked. Brok sneered and leaned away from Sindri, facing Mimir. 

“Go to Hel, you hairy tree-ballsack.” Atreus bursted out laughing, trying and failing to choke down his giggles. Mimir gaped up at Brok, then closed his mouth with a click. 

“Well alrighty then, ya’ fat gremlin of two incest-laden elves.” Brok startled and stared at the head. Atreus gawked at Mimir. Then the dwarf's lips curved into a grin. 

“Well, I’ll be damned, even though you ain’t got a body, you still got more balls than spineless over here,” He jerked a thumb at the other dwarf. Sindri huffed and crossed his arms, muttering something under his breath. Atreus stretched. 

“Well,” he started, then paused to yawn, and continued, “Me and Mimir can go see what it was, that was howling earlier.” 

Brok shook his head. “All honesty kid, I don’t recommend it.”

“Why not?” The boy asked. 

“Because you don’t have your dad’s backup,” Brok replied flatly. Atreus frowned at him and shifted his weight. “I know how to fight too, Brok. I can take care of myself.”

“And I don’t doubt your abilities meatshank. But if someone out of the ordinary comes up, I just don’t think you could handle it by yourself.” Brok turned around and began busying himself with pulling out shards of metal. The youth felt a spike of fury rush through his veins and he clenched his fists. ‘_ No. Relax.’ _ He told himself. Sucking in a deep breath, Atreus forced himself to loosen his tight grip. 

Hung from his belt, Mimir sensed Atreus’s muscles going rigid and tensed. _ ‘Don’t do it laddy. Just relax,’ _ he pleaded internally. 

The boy released a tight breath. Reopening his eyes, he nodded. “You’re right,” he said cooly. _ ‘You’re not sick. Not anymore.’ _ Brok peered over curiously at the boy and gave him a once-over, analyzing him. Seemingly satisfied, he shrugged. 

“I can still offer you services _as long as you have the Hacksilver for it, of course_, but you’re on your own, meatshank.” 

Atreus waved him off, “We’ll be fine. If I’m uncertain of something, I can ask Mimir.” Said head glanced up at him uneasily but nodded. 

Sindri turned to the forest and pointed. “We heard the noise come from over in that direction. Do you need anything before you leave?” He asked kindly. Atreus shook his head. 

“No, I’m fine. I’ll see you two soon.” With his keen senses, Mimir just barely heard Brok mutter, ‘I hope so too, meatshank.’ Mimir kept his mouth shut. 

“Let’s go laddy. It’ll be better ‘fer us if we go now while there’s at leas’ some light still for us ‘ta see,” The head urged. Atreus held Sindri’s smile for a long moment, then with weary eyes turned around at last. 

Watching the boy wander off with the brown-haired head bouncing on his hip, Book shook his head and chuckled lowly. “Jus’ like his damned stubborn mule of a dad.” 

  
  
  


“This is the place?” Atreus pulled a face. They were at the mouth of a small cave, hollowed out from part of a hill. The whole place was engulfed in chunks of fur and torn up grass. A dead deer lay at the entrance, a pool of slightly wet blood pooled around the carcass. “…jeez, maybe we _ should _ be worried,” He traced a finger through the red liquid, features drawing together uneasily. 

Mimir blew out a puff of cold air. “Looks like there was a massacre here. Whatever it was, ‘must’ve been big, ‘n very hungry. Just look ‘t that poor thing! Its insides are a lot more ‘outside’ than they are ‘inside.’” Atreus nodded in agreement, wrinkling his nose at the sudden foul stench that invaded his senses.

“Eugh, that’s disgusting! By the _ gods _ that smells awful!” He complained, fanning his face in vain. “It doesn’t even look like it’s been dead for long, so how does it smell this bad already?!” 

Mimir laughed humorlessly. “‘Dunno lad. Maybe whatever ate it was sick ‘r somethin’. Cn’t say ’ve ever seen somethin’ decay this fast though. Gotta say though, that’s fairly worryin’. Atreus hummed. Searching around, he grabbed a long stick off the ground, and, approaching the corpse, prodded it. A small, slimy chunk of skin slipped off. Atreus gagged.

“I should not have done that, I _ definitely _should not have done that-“

“Hey, lad,” Mimir beckoned. “Hold me near ‘th big hole in ‘ts chest. I think I see somethin’.” Reluctantly, Atreus unclasped the head from his hip and tentatively stepped closer. 

“Is that enough?” Atreus visibly recoiled, almost whining. Mimir nodded and peered into the corpse. It was hard to see, even with the pale light coming in from the sun, but on the sides and close to the flaps of the insides, there were marks.

Atreus waited impatiently, holding Mimir out to the body while simultaneously doing his best to face away from the corpse, lest he completely lose his sense of smell. “Atreus!” The boy jumped and pulled the head to him, holding the man at eye-level.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“Atreus, lad, we need to leave. _ Now.” _ Mimir did not elaborate, and Atreus glanced at the deer, utterly baffled.

“Why? What’s wrong?” He asked confusedly. Mimir gritted his teeth and snapped.

“Atreus,_ now is not the time!_ Now _go!_ _Run!”_ Still confused but now very frightened, the boy took off, sprinting through the forest. Then, between the loud crackling of leaves and the wind that rushed past his ears, Atreus just barely heard it. Thumps, following after him.

“Atreus keep goin’! Somethin's comin’ after us!” Mimir yelled up to him. 

“I noticed, Mimir!” Atreus hollered back. The thumps got faster, and the ground physically vibrated with each step of their pursuer. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and launch an arrow right into the face of whatever slug-eating creature was chasing him, but he still didn’t know what it was. “Mimir, what’s chasing me?!”

“It’s yo- ATREUS GO FASTER! OH GODS JUST GO FASTER!” Mimir screamed. Atreus forced his legs to go faster, and as he bolted across the forest floor, their pursuer thundered right after them. In his wild hysteria, the boy managed to make out a huge, dead tree planted right in his path. There was no way he could jump over that, but if he timed it just right, maybe he could…

“Mimir, hold on tight!” Atreus cried out. 

“What th’- WHAT ARE YOU DOI-?!” Atreus, doing his best to avoid the head, abruptly crashed into the ground, tucking his head down as tightly as he could and used his momentum to carry him under. Flying out the other side of the bulky tree, Atreus drove his heels into the dirt sharply, joints protesting in stinging agony and launched himself back to his feet. He quickly darted away from the colossal evergreen, staring back owlishly.

The creature rammed into the tree, shifting it only slightly, and roared angrily. After several long moments of hard panting, the ground shook again and it stamped away. Finally releasing his breath, Atreus heaved air into his parched lungs, swallowing dryly. 

“…Holy _ fuck _ that was terrifying,” Mimir whistled. “Good thing ‘yer a fast lil’ cricket though.” Atreus staggered over to a thick tree and sank against it, still wheezing in exertion. The man’s features twisted into worry, “Lad? ‘Ya ‘lright?” Hysterical laughter bubbled out of the boy’s throat completely unbidden, and he craned his neck up. Worry pulsed through Mimir and he glanced up at him

“Are you finally going to tell me what was chasing us, Mimir? If you’d told me sooner, I could’ve shot it or something.” Atreus frowned slightly, eyeing the golden-eyed god wearily. 

Mimir felt the faint urge to scratch his head with phantom limbs. “Atreus, ‘ta be honest, I really don’ know ‘ow to tell ‘ya.” He made a face, “So, I guess I’ll jus’ giv’ it ‘ta ‘ya straight. I found human bite marks in th’ deer, and then ‘yer Da came out an’ started chasin’ us.” The boy froze up and gaped in horror. 

Clutching his shirt, he stammered, “What?! N-No, that…that _ couldn’t _ have been…!” 

“Atreus lad, ‘m sorry. I really am. But think boy! Why would I need ‘ta lie ‘ta ya’ about _ this?” _ Said boy shook his head fiercely. 

“I d-don’t know, bu-but that couldn’t have been Father! F-Father would have s-said someth-thing!” Atreus threw his hands up in frustration as his stuttering worsened. “S-stop-p l-lying to m-me, Mi-Mimir!”

“I’m not lad, I swear!” Mimir grimaced. “Tha’ was ‘yer Da alright, but he was…different.” 

“Different?” Atreus’s eyes narrowed sharply. “How so? 

“He was paler, ‘lot more than he already ’s, and he seemed a lot more gray. He was jus’ overall darker.” The boy turned away, face unreadable. A pinprick of concern shot through him, and the head wished desperately he still had his body to touch his shoulder. “…I think it might’ve been whatever Freya hit ‘im with…” He said quietly. He didn’t know what else to say. Atreus didn’t say anything.

Away from Mimir’s sight, hot wet tears sank and fell to the ground.

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

S̶̙̹̟̩̼͕o̟͙̫̫͓̪͡ ̵͕̲ͅc̹̻̮͍ļ̲̼̟̥͉̮òs̱͙͍̭̳e̩͇̙̺̪̞.̘̲̫͍ ̤͚̱͍͔S͇̠͙͍͓o̼̭ ̳̫͢c͈͙̪̻͉l͏̭o̡̼ș̱̩̲͍̱͜e̜̰̰̰̹̪ ͔t̞̠͞ò̼ ̹͇̀h́i̸͚̤̙̞̙͓m̀

  
  


Oh for the love of- we weren’t close to anything. All we did was chase that strange shadow creature, and then it faded through the wall.

W͝e͔̠̲ ̦̤̬̝̼͔̹l̬͖ơ̻̙̥͉s̭͓̝͜t̡͇͔̬ ͔̬̜̗̼̱͟h̹̤͍i̴̥̰̞̰͙̩̩m̞͙̖̠͖.͏̮͍.͕͇͍̥̣̕.͔͚͈͞

  
  


Yes, we did. But we cannot lose what we never had in the first place, _ demon _.

O̥̹͍͠ur̥̰͝ ̕p̙͉̹̘͡ŗ̥̻͉̳̟e̵c͖̳̗̮io̵̻͍͙̳u͟s̸̞̳̻̣̺.̴̮͇̘̤͈͙̝.̙̩̖̥̖.̹͍̻̼̗̪͜ͅ

  
  


It was not precious to me. It has not even been confirmed if it was man or beast.

H̭͔͔e͚͙͕ ̝i̲͟ͅs̱̞̙̞̙ ̷͍͇̜̻̣ͅt̟̻̼ḩ̟͕̖̦̫̼̜e̤͇̘̼̲͜ ͎̗o͚̩̭̤ͅn̖͈͟e̝̙͝.̞̞͕͍͓ͅ

  
  


I tire of running in these same circles. Answer me who this ‘he’ is or remain silent.

H̜e̶̱ ̸w͏̪̜̹i҉͖̣̰l̳̪̳̤̙̱̤l̠͖̬̲̥̲͎͜ ̧s̠͞a̮̼͜v͉̩͖͎̘e̤͘ ̟̤̼͓̭̲̪ú͚̱s̤̰͍̦̱ ̯̠̣͕̰̥b͏̜o̵̻͎͙͓̦t̶͖h̸̝̼̪.̻̯̕

  
  


…‘He’ will free us?

H̳͓͚e̹̣̰̘̱̬ͅ ͈̯̪̹̦̩͟i̼̩̳̱s͉͎͘ ̻o҉̬̩u͏͉r̞͈͈̜̜̠͖ ͓̯͢l̠̟̬̻i̭̮̗̯g̹̱̗ͅh̸̤ͅt̳͓̹̗̭͚͠.̨̪̻͙ ͎͖̲̱̕H̙̠̳̫̜̥e̦͕͚͔͈̮͈͞ ̝w̖̥̯͉i̵̱͔̼ļ̳̗͔̱̣̱̯l̜̘̖̝̗̻̳ ̺̳s̶͎a̭͎̠͔̯v҉̺̫e̹͙̠͟ ̨̻̠͍̱̘̬̜u̡̱̯̗̩̩̦s̳̦̬͔͇ ̮̙̯al̖̻̯̘̭͖l̛͔͈̫͚.̴̤͍͚̝̭

  
  


Is the shadow creature whom you speak of?

Y͚̣̩͔̰͈̕e͏̫̫s͖̯̳̻̖̜̤͞.̩̣̳̮͖̠͢ͅ ͅH̠͔e̴̖̝̩̥̻̯̙ c̻͔̥̗̲̹a̷̰͙̱m͙̮̖̱͟e̖̝͓, ̲͍b̳͚̘̠u̴͉̫̱͈͚̤̝t͙̣ ̣̝͚̻̼̫̜nǫw̪͍̝͚̠͎͎ ͙͞h͇e̻̱ ̲̦̰̣͢h̘̻̲̘̼̺a̲̟̰̝͙s̹̭̳̰̘̖͕ ͍̫̜̙g̥o̦̬͢ņe͈̯͖̗̲.̣̖̰̞ ͍̼̖̥̜W͓͟i̱͇̯t̶̯h̦̞̬̹̯̭͢o͓̥̦̣u̥̱ṯ̝̣̠͈̲ ̨o̹̥̲͔̭u̟͍ŗ ͉͇̫̺͈̜̦l̲̲̬ig̨̮͎̱̖̦̪̻h̴͇̭͖̟t̡̙̥̣̫,͏͇̬̠̖̫͈̜ ̫̙̲͈͕͝w͉̬̜̼͉̩͇e͖̯͎͍̭̦̩͞ ̡a̦̮̱͖r̦̞̥͙̱̙e͎̝̯ ̨̺͕͖̘̳̞l̢̖̠o̹s̷ͅt͢.

  
  


He is a simple shadow. Shadows are born of dark, not light.

P̤̪̗̺͉e̷͚͖͈̬͉r̢̭ha̗͟p͇̘͢s͍̟.̸̯̝̗̭̫̦̼ ̲͍͇̱̥̺B̤̫̥̙͙̞ͅụ̹̻̮̲̩͙t͉̭͕͇̫͚͚̕ ̯̲̯h̢̯͇̦̼͚͙e̻̤̗͓̞̞ ͔͚i̶̥s̭͖̦͉̥ ̣̲̼̩͝t̛̳̮͙͓͇h͙͔̟͎e ̩̱͚͙ͅbṟ̙̖͚̀i̸̤̩̤g̹͉h̯̹̣͡t̘̙̪̫̙͚e͍̳̥s̷̘t̥͕̦̳ ̴͔͉̗̬̼s̰ḥ͇͕͞a̛͕͉̱̤̻d̠͓̼o̜̜w̮̻̹̰͟ ̗̣́t̴͔ͅh̹̦̣̀a̠̱̬̫ͅt̸̞̼͎͎̦̝ͅ w̬̩͎i̱̙l̖͎̳̦̘l̶ ̧͚̪͇e͎̗̣͖̹̤v̧̹̼e͖ͅr̝̬̟̥̹͔͠ ̨̯c͈̣̘̜̠͈o̲m̼̥͉̳e͓̣ ̴̺̱͖͉ţ̬̟͕o̰̗̗̳̰̙ ̭͚ṵ̼͍̼̞̘̳̕s̺̲͖̪͕.͉͙͚͚

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the corrupted text isn't too warped for you guys to read! Thank you guys so much for reading and for those few who commented, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Any sort of criticism you all have would be greatly appreciated ;3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIIII!!! So sorry this took me so long to post, but I've hit a rough patch in my life where I've just lost motivation for everything I used to love doing. That, and because of my own poor planning I didn't know where I wanted to take the story, so I was on something of a writers' block as well. This chapter is longer than my other ones to make up for my disappearance and I really hope those of you still reading this enjoy this as much as I did making this.
> 
> On another note, I've been searching for a beta because, frankly, I don't have one and I feel like it would be good for this to be cleaned up better than my rushed 'oh it's fine there's probably a period there' lol. So anyone who's interested, please leave me a comment below so I know. Or, if you'd like, just give me feedback. I live for the comments.
> 
> Thanks and enjoy <3  
~Turtle

The hammer came down harshly against the adamant metal, and it vibrated in protest with a steely  _ twang _ . Wiping away the sweat on his brow with his arm, Brok heaved in a breath. He was mindful, as he slowly morphed it. Transformed it. Cautious and quick, he carried the heavy lump over to the big vat of water and carefully dipped it in. 

The water hissed up at him, but quickly accepted the intruding sheet. It wasn’t anything special now, but he would craft this into a spectacular work of art- he was certain of it. What he  _ wasn’t _ certain of, was why Atreus came hurtling through the forest like he was running from a raging pack of Seidr. 

The boy skidded to a halt, face red with exertion, sucking in wheezing gasps of air. Exchanging a worried glance with Sindri, Brok set down his tools, and waddled over. Atreus wobbled, then, as if on cue, his knees gave out with a cry. The squat dwarf abruptly lunged forward and caught him, snatching a fistful of cloth and fabric just in time to stop his fall. Atreus groaned, and Brok pulled at him, prodding him until he was (mostly) straight again, but still the boy leaned on him heavily. “Sindri -hrph- help me get ‘em up!” 

Sindri padded over obligingly. However, when extending a hand for the young god tentatively, he quickly recoiled. “He’s so  _ dirty!” _

“An’ I don’t give a damn! Help him up you squeamish muck-sucking frog!” Brok snapped, shifting his posture to support more of Atreus’s dead weight. Sindri grimaced but reached for him again, grabbing ahold of the boy’s ankles and tugged them up.

Together, they managed to drag the boy over to a work table. Brok swept a hand across the surface of the table and knocked everything off. “…I’ll clean it up later,” he grumbled. His brother whined, but stopped in favor of helping lower the boy to the counter. 

“Thank you both. I am quite certain I would not ‘ave been able ‘ta do anything ‘bout this ‘f th’ boy fell elsewhere.” 

Sindri  _ shrieked. _ But Brok simply leaned over with a raised brow. There sat Mimir atop the table, a tired expression painted across his face.

“Head? The fuck’re you doing there?”

“Oh you know, jus’ helping ‘im run away from his Da. Th’ usual shenanigans,” Mimir smiled tightly. The dwarf blinked, stunned, and his brows furrowed deeply. 

_ ‘…This godsdamned man is hiding something,’ _ he decided. But he would not press him. Not yet at least. There was another somebody he needed to worry about first.

“I’m not even gonna ask. But th’ hell happened to meatshank here? Looks like he ran a couple laps around the world ‘nd came back.” Brok barked out a rough laugh, but the genuine concern hidden behind the humor was easily palpable. 

Mimir nodded gratefully. “Long story short, we got chased by a big ‘ol brute and th’ poor lad here managed ta’ run away from ‘im. He’s prolly jus’ tired, but he did slide under a whole tree, so he might have a few scratches here ’n there.” 

“Sh-should I go get some b-bandages for him?” Sindri offered, pointedly avoiding looking at Atreus. Mimir breathed out in relief. “By all means, please.” Sindri bowed and hastily shuffled off.

Brok turned and crossed his arms. “So,” he started, tone deadly serious. “You gon’ tell me what really happened or do I need to drag it out ‘yer mouth?” 

“We found the lad’s father.”

“Great! Then where th’ hell  _ is _ he?” The dwarf waved his arms around wildly. “Why th’ fuck didn’t you bring him with, hm? Somethin’ wrong?”

Mimir rolled his eyes in annoyance, but responded anyway. “If ‘ya would’ve let me explain, you would know he isn’t exactly in the mindset ‘ta start having family reunions. Was rather  _ off-kilter. _ ” Brok facepalmed himself.

“Well isn’t it  _ grand _ to know what in the name of Odin’s left ball is wrong with Atreus’s father _ , _ ” He scoffed loudly, casting the head a withering scowl. Mimir glared right back. “Well it’s not exactly like I know what’s happenin’ either! I’m not some magical head that knows everything!”

Cue the long, awkward moment of silence. 

“… You know what I mean. But I don’t know th’ specifics ‘bout Kratos. I jus’ know that he isn’t mentally present, ‘f ya’ catch me,” Mimir sighed. Brok scratched at his head. Sindri finally teetered back over with a roll of bandages. 

“Here!” He dumped the roll rather unceremoniously and Brok glowered at him testily, then began undoing the roll. Brok ran a clean cloth over the cuts that sprinkled over the boy’s arms and carefully wrapped them up. When he was finished with his task, he left the boy under the watchful eye of Mimir.

It’s a long while before Atreus wakes, and when he does he groans, eyelids fluttering in the now dimmed light of sunset. Atreus attempts to sit up but cringes and Mimir clucks his tongue disapprovingly. “Lay back down, lad.” Atreus groans but complies a little faster than he meant to and drops back down to the table. 

“I- what happened?” He finally asks.

“You made it back ta’ one o’ Brok’s and Sindri’s many lovely camps just in time to pass out like a bear in hibernation,” The god answers bluntly. He chuckles, but the humor didn’t quite reach his glowing eyes. Atreus turns his head over, blinking drearily. 

“Mimir… how do we save Father? How do we even  _ get _ to him? He was chasing us, so-” The boy breaks off and sobs out a wheeze. Easily recognizing the rising sign of a panic attack, Mimir quickly soothes him.

“Atreus, lad, we’ll deal with tha’ in th’ morn. For now, close yer eyes ’n rest. Let those two pebble-brained dwarves take care ‘a ya first an’ then we’ll worry ‘bout yer da later, yea?” 

“Deal,” Atreus murmurs, already turning on the table to a comfortable position and then he’s out like a light. 

Internally, Mimir is also struggling to make up a plan for Kratos. Whatever spell he is under, it is giving the impression that Kratos is hostile towards them. Even made him cave to his more primal instincts, if the deer they found was anything to go by. Perhaps Freya cursed Kratos to act like an animal? 

It was so hard not to fret over the whole situation, but maybe- maybe he should stop and take his own advice. He closed his own eyes, and drifted into an uneasily sleep.

A small pain blossomed at his temples and Mimir shot wide awake. But when he saw it was only the elder of the dwarf brothers he grumbled. “Was tha’ really necessary?” Brok returned his scowl with a scoff.

“Nah. But I wanted to do that anyways. Want me to wake up the kiddo or you got that? Since I assume you guys have your own journey to get back to,” He adds hastily, eyes darting between Mimir and the boy still dead asleep on the workbench. 

“I’ll wake him,” he assured pointedly. “Could you grab ‘is pack and set it there? Ah, yes- thanks.” Brok nodded and wandered off. “Ahem. Lad? Atreus, time to get up. We’ve a busy day of tracking ahead of us.” This time when the young boy came around, his eyes were clearer, sharper even as he just awoke. After a moment of laying there, he sat up quietly and yawned, stretching out his lean limbs and winced when joints cracked angrily back into place. Testing his feet, the boy rolled his ankles in circular motions, and when satisfied, slid off the table. 

“Breakfast now or- later?” A yawn interrupted his sentence and Atreus rubbed his eyes tiredly. 

“If we find some berries while we’re out, you can have those. Unless yer hungry now?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” Atreus nodded distractedly. 

Mimir squinted at him but didn’t comment, instead continuing, “So, first step ta’ helping yer da is finding ‘im. On the chance tha’ he may still be sentient, he might be able ta help us find a remedy fer whatever godsdamned curse Freya imposed on him.” Atreus nodded along and hitched his horn to his belt. 

“Any clue where to start or should I just poke around?” 

“Do ya remember th’ way back ta’ tha’ big evergreen tha’ was toppled over? Try starting there, since that’s where we last found th’ big ol’ bastard.” Atreus slung his quiver and bow over his back, waved the dwarves goodbye and went out. 

By the time they get back to the tree, the hairs on the back of Atreus’ neck are prickling and he glances around restlessly. 

“Mimir?”

“Hm?”

“Something feels… off.” He turns in a full circle, analyzing the bushes wearily. His companion hums in quiet acknowledgment. The snap of twigs from nearby makes them both jump and Atreus already has his bow out with an arrow nocked in the blink of an eye. He forces his trembling limbs to still, takes a long breath, and patiently waits. Another rustle, a little further away, but heavier-sounding. 

The boy peers down the sights of his bow as the crunching approaches again.

Thump… thump… thump.

While the footsteps continue to get close, Atreus is straining to glean just how big this creature was. It sounded huge, footsteps like a statue finally freed from its eternal pose. There, he sees, over the top of a thicket, a familiar clean-shaved head. But the once pale, snowy skin has turned almost grey. Crimson tattoos contrasted the dull skin so sharply the markings dribbled down like frozen blood on a walking corpse. 

A horrified gasp squeaked out his tight throat entirely unbidden and the god’s head snapped towards him. 

Gods, his face was even worse! His gruff, ruggedly handsome features had been whittled down to little more than sharp, bony edges. Cheekbones protruded like tiny clubs from his skull and iron grey eyes had sunken even further down into the hollow crevice of his eye sockets. And then his mouth hinged open, vocal cords grinding out an awful, eerie warble and charged the boy. Atreus sheathed the bow and immediately turned tail as Kratos came crashing through the brush with an ugly roar. 

_ Oh gods, not  _ this _ again, _ Atreus whined. He wished he was like a great deer, with long, slender legs built for running, jumping, for  _ escaping. _ Atreus sucked in as much breath as possible and his vision blurred. Trees flew by one after the other and he kept his legs pumping to his own internal rhythm.

_ Left right left right left- _ there.

A thin branch hanging just low enough for him to reach, and on top, another thicker, more solid limb. He couldn’t run forever, but he could outwait the beast that claimed his father’s body. The branch almost slipped through his fingers like water until he threw up his other hand just in time and  _ pulled _ . 

It groaned in protest, already cracking at him threateningly and the boy swiftly hopped to the next one up. He kept climbing and scaling until the angry roars were far below him and the lake-blue sky welcomed him into its canopy. Atreus clung to the side of the tree and panted hard. Suddenly his brain stuttered:  _ Mimir?! _

He whipped around wildly and felt for the golden horns, and when he sensed the dense snag of hair, the relief that flooded through him was incredible. Atreus slumped back with a sigh.

“…I’m okay lad. But honestly, I’m more worried ‘but you.” The talkative stump for a head was so quiet it hurt. Atreus pines for the days when they were both light-headed with laughter, not somber with worry. 

“I’m- I’m okay,” Atreus manages to force out, and he takes a staggering breath. They’re both so quiet, and  _ gods _ why couldn’t he just believe Mimir when he told him he wouldn’t want to see-

“Atreus.” He exhales through his nostrils and peers down. Mimir’s golden eyes are boring into his intensely, something akin to confusion fluttering through those irises. “I know seein’ yer da must be awful, but… I must ask, how exactly did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Atreus admitted. “I know I’m not a great climber, but- everything started closing in on me,  _ he _ was closing in on me, and I needed to get  _ away _ , and-!” 

“Atreus,” the head interrupts, gentle. His jaw closes with a click. “Do ya even know what ya did?”

“I ran?”

“No, lad. Much more than that.”

“I… climbed?” Mimir shook his head. 

“No, lad. I hate to add this onto gods-only-know what else is running through the poor head of yours, but Atreus. For a short while, you were a deer.”

“I- what?” Atreus broke off and blinks dumbly. 

“Yes, I know, that’s a  _ lot _ to take in, but I swear on my life I am telling you the truth right now. Hell, you even grew just enough horns to carry me n’ my hook around like a bagful of feathers!” Atreus shakes his head, completely reeling. 

“Mimir, I- can we just focus on Father? I can’t… I can’t deal with whatever  _ this _ is right now.” Mimir hummed quietly and he golden eyes stole a glance down to the underbrush. Kratos was still lurking around, and even from their height he could see the taut stretch of muscles as the man burly man stalked around.

“Atreus. Lad,” He grimaced. “I have the wildest idea.” So the boy listened intently as his companion explained his plan. Atreus leaned over again to check his Father’s location and screwed his eyes shut. Seeing his Father roam around and sniff trees did no favors for calming his hectic nerves. 

Breathe in, breathe out; he lowered himself, step by step, climbing down carefully like he was born in the trees instead of on the ground. His foot touched the branch and as soon as it creaked his father’s bald head snapped up and glazed eyes honed in on him. The great ox of a god stopped moving and his attention shifted to rest solely on Atreus. 

Atreus swallowed nervously and chewed at the inside of his lip, but Mimir nudged at him encouragingly. If not ominously. He continued descending down the lower limbs until he dropped to the ground again and stood, neck craning back to take in the full visage of the shadow that was the Ghost of Sparta.

Now that he was almost face-to-chest with his father, he could see the much smaller details he couldn’t see over the bush: his pitch-colored eyes were rimmed with red and his strong jaw was stained in a thin filament of pink. Blood. His sharp cheeks jutted out like twin pairs of arrowheads and his well-kept beard was matted with twigs and debris. 

Kratos tilted his head, dark eyes roving over him and again Atreus felt like a deer under the hungry gaze of a wolf. He knew how to kick, how to bare his antlers, but even he knew better than to let down his guard. So he watched, twisting his head around as not-Father circled him. 

Not-Father finally approached him boldly, and Atreus restrained the powerful urge surging through his veins to turn tail and fly back into the safety of the trees- but Mimir’s words rang in his ears like a grim reminder. ‘Let him sniff you, let him touch you. Animals don’t talk like you or I do to communicate. If he gets too close for comfort, though, don’t be afraid to flash him the hooves: that’s how you stay alive, in the wild.’

Withdrawing his bow and pulling the string back far enough to hint a warning, Kratos backed off, eyeing him from under his deep brow but didn’t retreat fully. Just when Atreus thought he might leave, not-Father suddenly reached for his arm and yanked it from him. He twisted it over as if to inspect it, and the abrupt heat that rolled off his father’s skin in waves was an almost pleasant balm to the plethora of scratches that wracked his arms. 

Then Kratos releases him and jerks away, and he’s gone as fast as he came. Atreus releases his breath in a gasp and steals a terrified glance down at Mimir. The head stares back up at him with wide eyes. “Mimir…” he starts, but he doesn’t know what to say. Mimir doesn’t seem to either, and he closes his mouth.

“Lad, do you wanna head back, or…?” The boy doesn’t answer immediately, his head turned away from the god. Atreus is still against him, and Mimir feels the shiver that crawls down the boy’s back.

“…I want to see him again.” He inhales sharply but Atreus hastily adds, “But we can look again tomorrow. I don’t want to push our luck for today.” They return to the dwarves’ camp wordlessly. They’re greeted by Brok, who is busy hammering away at another of his projects. 

“Oi, you meatheads’re back already? Find anythin’ worth sellin’?” Atreus shakes his head and the dwarf huffs. “You find your father then?” Atreus chews on his lip and after a moment nods silently. Brok’s face falls but he forces a broad smile onto his cracked lips. “Well then, I don’t suppose you two knuckleheads are hungry, hm?” The boy shrugs halfheartedly but Mimir pipes up in confirmation, and casts the boy a look. Brok called for Sindri and the brother came marching over with a new chest plate. 

“What is it this time you disgusting mongrel- oh, hello Atreus! Do you need something?”

“We’re taking a break to eat,” the elder sibling says for him. Brok meanders off and Sindri leans forward, worried. 

“Uh, Atreus, are you okay? You look pale. I mean, paler.” The boy blows a raspberry and his gaze drops to the ground. 

“I guess. I found Father, but he’s…he’s…” Atreus trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t know. He’s- the spell’s affecting him a lot. It’s almost like he doesn’t even recognize me- it was really intimidating.” Sindri pats his shoulder and smiles awkwardly. 

“I think he’ll be fine, Atreus. Your father is the sturdiest man I’ve ever known-”

“-because he’s a god-” Atreus rolls his eyes halfheartedly.

“-and although I haven’t known him as long as you have, I’m sure he’ll pull through this. Freya is an angry, grieving mother. But she cares for you. Enough, that I think, she wouldn’t want to take your only remaining parent away from you. That would be cruel of her.”

“Like making Father behave like an animal  _ isn’t?” _ Atreus snaps harshly and glowers at the ground. But he regrets it immediately as hurt flashes across his face and he wilts. “Sindri I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean that! I’m just a little messed up right now.

“Apology accepted,” the dwarf sniffs. Brok comes back with a big platter of meat and sets it down on the log. The warm scent of roasted chicken wafts into his nostrils and he takes in a deep breath, and relaxes. He takes a piece and chews on it slowly, relishing in the taste and heat. They eat in relative silence with the occasional joke to lighten the mood. They finish and clean up, tossing the scraps into the woods for the animals to finish and Atreus stays on the log with his head in his hands.

“Lad?” Brown eyes lift to meet golden, and Mimir is suddenly aware of how tired the boy looks. “What’s on yer mind?” 

“Was thinking about earlier, how you said I turned into a deer.” Mimir’s brows furrow and he quickly makes to soothe the boy but Atreus waves him off. 

“It’s fine.  _ I’m _ fine. I was just thinking if it was possible for me to control it. Whatever  _ it _ is. All the gods have their own power,” he explains, thoughtful. “Fathers’ is fighting and weapons. Modi and Magi have lightning, and Thor has thunder. Maybe mine is shapeshifting?” Atreus sits up and wrinkles his nose. “If it is… that’s cool, I guess. But I wished it was something cooler.”

Mimir clicks his tongue and Atreus sighed. He felt a lecture coming on.

“Laddy, every god’s ability is fortune in of itself because most people aren’t special like you and I’re. Imagine how dull life would be ‘f not for yer father and I, hm?” Mimir grins cheekily and Atreus chuckles in agreement. “That being said, it is up to each god or goddess to make the most of their ability. For example, when you turned into a deer, you also ran faster.  _ Much _ faster. Now, imagine being able to change into a bird, to fly up and see all around you. Or, maybe, as your control over your ability progresses, imagine what you could do if you were an entire  _ dragon!” _

Atreus can’t help but feel excited with the head and his entire face lights up. He pauses. “Hey Mimir, since you know all sorts of things and abilities, do you think… uh, could you help me with mine?”

Mimir grins.

“Why, I thought you’d never ask.”

** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ ** ^ **

But… why did you turn us away?

Y̧̩̯̗̹̠̿̑̃ͤo̟̙͓̝̮̮̪̪ͨ̿͌͠u͍̩̻̰͕͆̾̐͆̕ ̜̪͇͐̔͝m̶͚̼͙̞͐ų͎̹̆̿ͭs̳̹̹̿͛̕ț̠̱̥͇̗͗͝ ̵̻̪̣̗̜̑̄ḽ̵͔̟̙̣̽͑̅̉ͅͅe̶͚̞ͫa̞̪̱̭ͥ͂ͩ̈͜ͅr̨͍͖̬͖̄ň̼̪̜̠̜̼̗ͫ̌̌͘.̡̩͈̺̼̭̹̰̩̍ ̸̫̲͕̟̬͇ͯ͋ͯ̔T͙̞̝͇̰͙̖̅̂͘h̜̮̳̄ͦͮ͡a̡̠͇̥͍͋ṭ̨͉ͪͪ̾ ͎̣̫ͤ͞i̡̟̥̻̯ͮ̌ş͎̣͈̙̗̂̿̆̈ ̨̬̟͎̳ͪ̏ẁ̫̰͙͉͇͉͇͉͘h̺͈͒̉͞a̺̗̰̙͙͍̺̣͑͆̾̓́t̨͖̻̪̄͌͌ ̡͚̫͓̦͐͒w͓͓͖̬̥̫͙̼ͭ̒ͨ͝a̐͏̹̠͔̤̣̮̱s̴͖̺̄͊̓ͫ ̢̖̫̭͚̱̇̆̂ͅį̜̺̖̭͇̳̯͛̈̌͗n͇̺͈͆ͬ͠t͎͎̮̳ͯ̄ͧͮ͞e̛̩̱̗̞͚̞ͦͤ̓n͚̱͎͙̜̱ͬͫ̄ͤ͜ͅd͍̟̳̣ͣ͜ͅe̙̤̬̣̲̠͇͖̽̈ͣ̿͢d̫̯͈̭̽͑̕.̨̙͈͖ͨͯͧ͒ ̮͈͈̖̩̭͎̄͞T̶͉͇͕̠̦͑̀ͦ̓ó̴̟̤͓͕ ̷̯͚̯̗̯͙̝̱ͮ͗ḇ̜͕͇͖̒̽͂̀e̵̮̋̅ͅ ̄͑̇̂͏͓̪͇̠̹̮̘̤s̶̰̫̫̣̘ͣo͙̝̜ͩ̆͜ ͇̭͓͗̆̐͡ͅc̶̝͕̺̻̲ͤl̶̬͕̯̙̆ͣ̂ͣo͔̥̅͗̊͞s̴͓̫̫͓̍ͧe̢͇͉ͬ͂ͤ,̜͇̳͈͇̖̥͛ͪͯͩ͞ ̻̜̮͚̩̪͛͞b͔̭̰͖̊̏̅̈͞ū̟̦͚̬̘̪̼̋̓͡ṫ̢̯̹̝̯̤̤̻̱̓ ̘̜̠ͧ̑͗̓̕s̢͇̫̪̭̟̈ͮ͗t̰̯͈͍̖̪̣͊ͯ́i͉̬ͪ͋̒͞l̨̲̳̼̃͗̓̽l̡͉̘͖̫̮͎̳ͮ̂ ̮͉̳̮̍̾ͮ͝o̵̹͙̞͚͉̲͖̙ͬư̼͉̆̄͌ͦẗ̟͎̮͚ͦ̆̀ ̸͙̗͛ͩo̟͈͔̯̝̎͠f̢͕̘͂ͨͦ ̢͙͓̰͍̮͓̑ͯ̍ͬr̷̙̼ͯë͈̪͚̰́ͦ̀a͚̫͋͢c̢̘̳̭̳͈͕͉̅ͭͭh̙̰͍͋̀ͅ.ͬͧ҉͉̱̻̩̹͈

  
  


You’re still playing at your cruel game, aren’t you.

Ĩ̶͙t̷͍͠ ̷͈͐ñ̴̞e̴̻̽v̷̢͘e̸̱̒r̶̬͝ ̴̰̉w̶̙̕a̷̖͊s̴̝̈ ̸͕̏a̶̳̅ ̷͕̓g̶̮͌ḁ̷̈́m̵̪̌é̸̠.̶̔ͅ

Of course, you would say such things. Twice we have seen the mysterious shadow, twice we have been driven from it. But the second time, was  _ your _ fault, you demon.

H̖̱̘̗͕͚̟̉ͩ͢e̥̲ͦ͡ ̧͉̙̘͇̞̉͆̊̿w͍̼̼͙͎̜͇̓ͮͨ͡a̳̬̺͍̳͒̑ͪ̌͠ş̝̯͆ ̰̤̲̹͖͚̖̩̀̂̒̀n̞̙͋̕o̴̻̭̥̞̰̝̞̝͂ͩt̿҉̪̮̣ ̵̯̗̝́ͮ̈͗ͅr̗͚̳̦̬̉̿́e͈̺̝̘̜̳̻ͨ̇̊͟a̴̲͍͍̟͐ͣd̜̆͝ͅy͓̼̯͍ͯ̄͝.̣̻̲͋̅̃̀

  
  


What is he supposed to be-

Ę̸̧̛̪͒̊n̷̞͍̿͋o̵͉̪͆̕͝u̶̲͛̃̌g̸̺͔̃̾͑ḩ̵̙͆̾͝ ̷̦̱̑q̴̩͋̈u̶̖̿e̵͍̣̔s̶̜̓͜t̷͔̹͆ḯ̴͕o̶̝̎̈́ṉ̵̓̅͜s̶̯̱͚͋̓͠.̷͍̠̎͜ ̴̉͜Ỳ̵̺̲ö̶̧̼́͌͝ȕ̷̠̼̆'̶̳̓̈́͂v̷̼̰͎̽e̸͓̪͑̈́̇ ̸̺͍͝s̷͕̪̓́͌p̴̰̭̎͠ȍ̴̞̾k̷͎̜̈̋̚ě̷̼̪͇̐̕ṉ̵̏̕ ̵̣̿p̸̝̈́̓ļ̷͑͐ë̸̬̗̀ń̴̫̳̥t̶̲͇̏ỷ̴̫̇,̷̪̜̃ ̶̞́͒n̴͇͉̹̂o̵̪͆w̸͓̦͗̐̓ ̶̙̺̈́͌͝r̴̻̺͂͘ȅ̶̝̗s̴͉̠̏͂t̵͉͐̉ ̸̛̪̼͉̏͠ẏ̵͔̭͊ơ̶͚̖͔̊͗u̵̦͆̒͒r̸̠̊̄ ̵̧̬͈̓̕m̶͉̰̔̌͜i̷̳̋̍͜ṋ̴̒̈́d̴͉̖͓͊́̓.̴̜̺̪̎ ̷͇̒̚Ì̴̢̲̙̽͛ ̴̢͇͎̅̎à̵̻͜s̶͖͛͑͝ͅŝ̶̤ǘ̵̝̭̝̌r̴͔̤̆̆̋ȩ̵̙̅̆ ̶͎̏͐y̸̗̹͚͑̈̕ō̶̫͌̈ȗ̸͇̘̮̐,̴̩͆͘ ̴̱̀w̴̤̺̚h̷͎̀̒ę̴̄ṋ̸̅ ̸̱̈́h̵͙̍͘̕e̷͍̍͜ ̵̩̘̬͝ị̷͋͐̀s̵͔̓,̶͖͋ ̴̭̪̾̈t̸̨̳͝h̷̛̩͠a̸͇̟̻̓́ṯ̷̰̂̍͠ ̵̎̀͜ï̵̻͕s̸̛̳͋̐ ̵͉̰̓̉w̴̠̱̖̎̚h̴̝̽e̸̡̱̔̔͘n̵̮̆ ̷͔͉̂w̷̖̌̍ę̶͕̄̓́ ̷̳̘̘̾̌w̵̧̩̽̄i̴̮̽̕͝l̵̜̜̲̒́l̴̎̋̕ͅ ̵̡̨̥͐b̴͇̪̒͛͝ͅȩ̴̣̜̓̀̕ ̶̠̮̻̊̋̊ŕ̶̹͔͎̚͘e̵̤͎͆l̷̰̝͚̾̆e̸͚͇̞̎ạ̵̺͋́̎ṣ̸̾e̷͔̝̐d̸̛̳͓̍.̴͕͌͒͋

…Fine. I will not fight you on this, but only because my resistance so far has led me nowhere. 

T̢̳͖̮̣͇̜̬̭ͧȯ͎̟͖̯͓ͮ̃̐͠ơ̤͖̰̝̤̺̼̜ͦǩ̛̳̳͈̓͋̏ ̦̙̗̟͉̘͉͉ͧ͋͟y̬̰̮̤͉̤̯ͩ̋͑͘o̮̹̺̖̖̅̿͜u̵̗͚̘͔̖͎̬͋ ͉͓̱͔̪̙ͨ̂͠l̴̳̹̫̭̹̯̩ͣͅo̪̼̞̥ͫ̂̈̆̀n̟̣̒̇̂͡ͅg̙̦̤͔̖̜ͪͨ̓̚͘ ̛̰̜̉̋e̘̺͓̥͍̪ͨ͡n̼̞̖̖͛͛̀͟ǫ͕̪̮̣̓̓̃̆ͅu̦͉̣̯̗̥͛͢ḡ͔̜͕̳̯̭̳ͬ͠ͅh̷̻̦̟͓̳̮̾.̧̰͎̺̥̖̮̙̿͆́̑

  
  



End file.
